Tenor

Biography

Named Male Singer of the Year at the 2014 International Opera Awards, Stuart Skelton is one of the finest heldentenors on the stage today, critically acclaimed for his outstanding musicianship, tonal beauty and intensely dramatic portrayals.

Stuart has appeared in many of the world’s most celebrated opera houses including the Metropolitan Opera, Seattle Opera, San Francisco Opera, English National Opera, Paris Opera, Bavarian State Opera, Hamburg State Opera, Berlin State Opera, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Dresden Semperoper and the Vienna State Opera. His roles include the title roles in Lohengrin, Rienzi, Parsifal, Dmitrij and Peter Grimes as well as Florestan in Fidelio, Laca in Jenufa, Erik in Der Fliegende Holländer, The Kaiser in Die Frau ohne Schatten, Bacchus in Ariadne auf Naxos, The Prince in Rusalka, Max in Der Freischütz, Canio in Pagliacci, Gherman in The Queen of Spades, and Siegmund in Der Ring des Nibelungen.

Skelton’s virile, baritonal Siegmund, with the most thrilling cries of Nothung and Wälse since the prime of James King. – Opera

He continues to be in demand on concert stages around the world, in repertoire that includes Mahler’s Das Klagende Lied and Das Lied von der Erde, Beethoven’s 9th Symphony and Missa Solemnis, Verdi’s Requiem, Dvořak’s Requiem, Janáček’s Glagolitic Mass and the Psalmus Hungaricus of Kodály. Stuart has appeared with such orchestras as the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, The Cleveland Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Montreal Symphony, Hamburg, Frankfurt and Munich Radio Symphony Orchestras, London Symphony Orchestra, the BBC Orchestras of Scotland and Wales and the Symphony Orchestras of Sydney, Melbourne, Western Australia and Tasmania. He has also appeared at the Edinburgh and Lucerne Festivals, and in the BBC Proms.

It is the Grimes of the young Australian Stuart Skelton — surely the finest on a London stage since the celebrated Jon Vickers — who sets the seal on the evening. – Sunday Times

His recording of Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde with Michael Tilson-Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony was released on the Symphony’s own label and a recording of the same work, with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra under Vladimir Ashkenazy, was released late in 2010. Other recordings include Beethoven’s 9th Symphony with Sir Charles Mackerras and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and live recordings of Die Walküre with both the State Opera of South Australia and Seattle Opera. Stuart also appears as King Arthur on the Teatro Real, Madrid’s DVD of Merlin, released by Opus Arte. The latest addition to Stuart’s discography is The Dream of Gerontius, recorded for Chandos with Sir Andrew Davis and the BBC Symphony Orchestra and released in September this year.Past seasons have seen Stuart make his Metropolitan Opera and Santa Fe Opera debuts as the Drum Major in Wozzeck, returning to the MET in the subsequent season to sing Siegmund in the Lepage Ring. He has also returned to the English National Opera in the title role of Nikolaus Lehnhoff’s production of Parsifal as well as Erik in The Flying Dutchman and Florestan in Fidelio. He has sung Parsifal at the Zürich Opera, made his Dresden Semperoper debut in Lohengrin and made his Berlin Philharmonic debut with Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde. He has sung the title role of Peter Grimes at the Opera de Oviedo, Tokyo’s New National Theatre, and in concert at the BBC Proms. He has also made his role debut as Gherman in The Queen of Spades in concert performances with the Sydney Symphony under Vladimir Ashkenazy.

Stuart Skelton is the finest Laca I have ever heard. – Financial Times

Engagements in 2013 included Ring Cycles at the Seattle Opera, Paris Opera and with Opera Australia, Parsifal at the Zürich Opera, concerts with the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs, Fidelio with the English National Opera, Peter Grimes in concert with the London Philharmonic under Vladimir Jurowski and Wagner concerts with the Bilbao Orkestra Sinfonikoa. Stuart began 2014 with a return to his signature role of Peter Grimes at the English National Opera in David Alden’s acclaimed production. He has also appeared in the title role of The Dream of Gerontius with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Sir Andrew Davis, in concert performances of Act III of Siegfried with the Opéra National de Bordeaux under Paul Daniel, in concerts with Sir Antonio Pappano and the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, and in concert performances of Peter Grimes under Michael Tilson Thomas.

In September 2014 Stuart made his debut in the title role of Otello, opening the English National Opera’s 2014/15 season in a new production by David Alden. He has also appeared as tenor soloist in Rachmaninov’s The Bells at the BBC Proms with Ed Gardner, The Dream of Gerontius with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and Beethoven’s 9th Symphony with the Hamburg Philharmonic and Simone Young. Forthcoming concert engagements this year include Das Lied von der Erde at the Zürich Opera, Beethoven’s 9th Symphony with the BBC Scottish Symphony and Donald Runnicles, and Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis, conducted by Philippe Jordan for La Scala’s annual televised Christmas concert.

In 2015 Stuart will make a major role debut, singing Tristan in Tristan und Isolde with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra under David Robertson. He will also return to the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra as Samson in Samson et Dalila and to the Bayerische Staatsoper as Siegmund inDie Walküre. Other engagements in 2015 include concert performances of Peter Grimes with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra and Fidelio with the BBC Philharmonic, Janáček’s Glagolithic Mass and Schoenberg’s Gurrelieder with the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Das Lied von der Erde with the Minnesota Symphony Orchestra and Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. In 2016 Stuart will appear as Tristan in the MET’s season-opening production of Tristan und Isolde, conducted by Sir Simon Rattle.

Stuart has twice been honoured with the Sir Robert Helpmann Award, once for his performance of Siegmund in the State Opera of South Australia’s 2005 production of the The Ring Cycle, and again in 2010 for Best Male Performer in a Lead Role for his portrayal of Peter Grimes for Opera Australia. He received a 2010 Green Room Award for A Streetcar Named Desire and was nominated for an Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Opera for his performances as Peter Grimes with the English National Opera.